40% of American children think hot dogs, burgers and bacon are types of vegetables
For a moment I thought I had ended up on De Speld, or was reading The Onion given that it is an English-language site, but no; serious research was conducted into children’s knowledge of food (aged between four and seven), and the results are alarming. Forty percent of the children surveyed think that hot dogs, hamburgers and bacon grow on trees. And no, this really isn’t a joke.
This study was published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology; a team of psychologists presented the children with a selection of different types of food, which they then had to divide into categories.
Fries come from animals
Remarkable; besides thinking that hot dogs, burgers and bacon are actually plant-based, the opposite was true for fries. Forty-seven percent thought that fries are animal products, and are therefore made from meat. I really wonder what kind of fries they are served at home, but unfortunately this was not mentioned in the study. Around 30 percent also thought that popcorn and almonds belonged under ‘meat’. I have so many questions…
Their knowledge of food was therefore far from optimal, but then again — they are still young children. Yet it is still insane that as many as 70 percent also said they thought chickens, pigs and cows were not edible. So what is edible? Sand. Admittedly, only one percent said they thought sand was edible, but that’s still one percent too many.
Communicating more with your children
Psychologists are not (yet) seriously concerned, however, and even refer to it as an ‘opportunity’. The results of this study should motivate parents to talk more with their children during meals, so they can tell them more about where their food comes from. Not a bad idea, really. Psychologists also expect that when you are more open with your children about where food comes from and what it is, children will be more likely to choose vegetarian options instead of animal products. Quite an interesting little study to try at home if you have children, right?
Also read:
- News alert: there is now animal-friendly foie gras
- An ode to foie gras
- Know before you go: 12 French dishes you might want to avoid
Source: IFLScience
